SEGA’s weekend App Store sale includes Crazy Taxi and more

By Oliver Haslam on May 12, 2013

SEGA has been known to put its iOS apps on sale every once in a while, and this weekend is one such occasion, with three of the Japanese company’s games having a couple of dollars slashed from their App Store price.

The three available games have been around for a while, but if you’ve not picked them up yet, or have perhaps been on the fence about picking them up at their normal price, then now’s the time to bite the bullet and get the credit card out.

So which games are included in the sale? Well, if you’re into some of SEGA’s classics, then you’re going to love the games Sega has included in its promotion… Read More

 

Pegatron CEO: Bloomberg is lying about ‘falling iPad mini demand’

By Christian Zibreg on May 9, 2013

The credulous Bloomberg yesterday covered Pegatron’s investor conference where the contract manufacturer announced a whopping 80 percent year-over-year growth in first-quarter profits.

Pegatron also cautioned investors that second-quarter revenue may drop between 20 and 30 percent amid the broader decline in consumer electronics demand.

However, writer Tim Culpan decided the story wasn’t newsworthy enough in and of itself. And in his quest for pageviews, the reporter reckoned he better run the piece under the more Apple’s doomsday headline, “Falling iPad mini demand to push Pegatron electronics sales down.”

Well, guess what? 24 hours later, Pegatron CEO steps forward and tells the media that Culpan put those words in his mouth and completely fabricated the ‘falling iPad mini demand’ part. And there goes Bloomberg’s credibility right down the drain… Read More

 

Apple v Samsung fight for mobile profits intensifies

By Ed Sutherland on May 8, 2013

For some time, whenever Android proponents argued for the platform’s dominance based on handsets shipped, Apple fans would counter by pointing out the iPhone was tops in profits.

Indeed, a new report shows Apple had more than half of all mobile profits during the first quarter of 2013, leading Android handset rival Samsung.

According to Canaccord Genuity, the iPhone maker came away from this year’s first period with 57 percent of mobile phone profits, despite having just eight percent of the worldwide handset market share.

By contrast, South Korea’s Samsung – which leads in market share – earned just 43 percent of the share of profits. However, the two companies could soon switch positions. The analyst firm claims iPhone sales will be weak in the upcoming June quarter, overshadowed by profits fueled by Samsung’s new Galaxy S4… Read More

 

Apple missing some 2.8 billion potential iPhone customers due to carrier demands

By Ed Sutherland on May 6, 2013

Much talk surrounding Apple has centered on a cooling consumer demand for its flagship product, the iPhone smartphone. However, it may be time to shift the narrative to feet-dragging by a number of global operators that could hold the key to as many as 2.8 billion iPhone customers, according to a Monday report.

Instead of a slowdown in demand, a Monday report by Bloomberg suggests the larger problem is vastly limited access to customers. Two numbers go far to tell the story: 240 and 800. While Apple has 240 carrier agreements throughout the world, rival Samsung has inked deals with virtually every of the 800 wireless providers. Indeed, Apple is lacking agreements to boost sales of the iPhone in some of the most-populated regions, including China, Japan, India and Russia… Read More

 

Apple starts countdown to 50B app downloads

By Christian Zibreg on May 2, 2013

Apple on Thursday started a countdown to fifty billion app downloads. The promotions is available via a dedicated iTunes page. Like the previous countdowns, Apple will award the lucky person who downloads the fifty billionth app with a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. iTunes Gift Cards can be used against any content purchase, including mobile and desktop applications, music, television shows, movies, etc.

In an interesting tweak to this year’s countdown, the company will also give away a $500 App Store gift card to each of the next 50 people who download an app… Read More

 

Post-PC news: China zooms past US in PC sales, netbooks on life support

By Ed Sutherland on Apr 30, 2013

For US PC buyers accustom to receiving items from China, here’s a switch: new research indicates more computers are being shipped into China than America. After China became the largest PC market in terms of buyers, the country is now also the world’s top market when it comes to shipping.

According to IHS iSuppli, in 2012 69 million PCs were shipped into China, compared to 66 million units headed for the United States. Despite its size, China still has some catching-up to do with the rest of the world. For instance, while most countries have moved on from desktop computers, a full half of PCs shipped to China are desktops.

That’s just one of many intriguing differences in the world’s largest PC market… Read More

 

Are Apple earnings a candle in the wind?

By Ed Sutherland on Apr 23, 2013

Apple, which for years has acted as an engine for much of the tech industry, may report slowing profits for the first time in a decade. Talk of a slowdown comes as the consumer tech giant deals with the triple-threat of slimmer profit margins, falling iPhone demand and heightened competition. Ahead of Tuesday’s second-quarter earnings report, Wall Street has entered a “show-me mode” as investors look for reassurance the firm can promise a rosier future… Read More

 

Apple vs Samsung price war in India

By Ed Sutherland on Apr 17, 2013

In another era, Apple and Samsung would be competing gasoline retailers, locked in a war to entice more automobiles to the pump. Update the picture to the 21st century, replace gas with smartphones and you have the modern-day equivalent of a price war playing out in India, according to a Wednesday report.

Android-based Samsung smartphones initially had the majority of the India market to itself. However, now Apple is shaking things up by offering discounts on its iPhone 4 – a move fueling the company’s challenge of rival Samsung.

The South Korean company has responded with discounts on its Galaxy family of products – on top of the current payment plan. Both companies are jockeying to control a market full of potential smartphone buyers… Read More

 

Verizon responds to T-Mobile with Device Payment Plan for smartphones, due April 21

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 13, 2013

Boy, did T-Mobile’s ‘Uncarrier’ initiative hit a nerve. As you know, the nation’s fourth-largest carrier landed the iPhone yesterday and just recently “canceled our membership in the out-of-touch wireless carrier club” by unleashing monthly installments separate of wireless service, reducing upfront cost of unsubsidized gear a great deal.

And just as T-Mobile yesterday announced “gangbusters” iPhone opening (even if that’s not really a number), Verizon swiftly responded by delaying phone upgrades from 20 to 24 months. The backlash ensued and Verizon quickly realized the change may not be “consistent with how the majority of customers purchase new phones today,” as it argued.

Therefore, the big red carrier followed up by announcing a one-year monthly installment plan for high-end smartphones costing over $349.99. It’s called Device Payment Plan and we have all the details right after the break… Read More

 

iPhone 4 discount triples India sales in under a week

By Ed Sutherland on Apr 12, 2013

More positive feedback on Apple’s efforts to reshape practices in the face of emerging markets. Sales of the iPhone 4 in India tripled in only five days, following a trade-in program. The program is viewed by some as a “disguised discount” but the results are obvious for Apple and its plans to compete in a nation where smartphone sales are just taking off.

Although India does not have a subsidy program to soften the blow of a full-priced iPhone, Apple has found a way to reduce the sticker shock by sharing the handset’s cost with a growing network of India’s retailers… Read More

 

Verizon would consider eliminating contracts, but not unless consumers demanded it

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 5, 2013

As T-Mobile this morning started accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5, its ‘Uncarrier’ initiative is about to be put to the real test. Will consumer prefer paying $20 in monthly installments for their iPhone 5 (with $99 downpayment) in exchange for a more affordable and simpler wireless service plan?

Or, would they rather continue dropping a hundred bucks or more each month for their overpriced wireless service, with no easy way to cancel their long-term commitment without incurring hefty penalties and hidden fees?

We should know in the coming days and weeks as the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco starts selling the popular smartphone beginning next Friday, April 12.

When T-Mobile announced earlier this year it would kill subsidies and offer Apple’s handset on monthly installments, cowardly AT&T and Verizon employed waiting tactics, opting to instead sit on the sidelines and monitor how the situation unfolds rather than improve their own dealings with customers.

When asked to comment on T-Mobile’s new Uncarrier business strategy, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam Wednesday rather ambiguously responded that his company isn’t really ready to kill subsidies right off the bat… Read More

 

Apple reportedly partnering with Barclays on Apple Store $99 T-Mobile iPhone 5

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 2, 2013

Apple’s been experimenting with installment payments in emerging markets for some time now. For example, installment payments coupled with increased marketing helped quadruple Apple’s single-digit iPhone market share in India. And in China, the online Apple Store offers 1, 3, 6 and 12 payment installment options with no interest, thanks to Apple’s partnership with China Merchants Bank.

That being said, in what appears to be another effort to improve its standing in the US market, Apple has reportedly partnered with Barclay’s to offer a no-interest option on T-Mobile iPhone 5 sales at Apple Stores… Read More

 

10M Galaxy S4 pre-orders in 2 weeks, smaller and cheaper version due soon

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 28, 2013

Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 at the weird March 14 presser and although it won’t land on store shelves before May, early pre-orders are encouraging. According to one estimate, the volume of pre-orders for the S4 has reportedly surpassed ten million units in the two weeks since its unveiling.

By comparison, its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, saw nine million pre-orders prior to its launch while Apple confirmed its iPhone 5 had been pre-ordered five million times over the launch weekend alone. These are no doubt strong numbers.

Analysts are forecasting cumulative sales volume of the Galaxy S4 of a hundred million units. And in recognition that not everyone prefers a phablet in their pocket, a high-profile publication has confirmed that a smaller and cheaper version of the S4 will follow soon… Read More

 

Folks not trading-in their iPhones following Samsung’s next big thing announcement

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 18, 2013

Gadget resellers such as Gazelle may have been eagerly awaiting Samsung’s new Galaxy S 4 in the hope that Apple fans will jump ship and trade-in their iPhones. Thus far, this hasn’t been the case. Quite the contrary – the vast majority of post-S4 trade-ins are for other Galaxy smartphones, not iPhones.

Specifically, Gazelle’s CEO said Monday his company has seen a cool 168 percent increase in the number of the Galaxy S III trade-ins compared to the number of Galaxy S II trade-ins, both observed during the same post-launch timeframe for each device… Read More

 

$149 iPhone 5 now available from Strata Networks

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 15, 2013

As promised last week, Strata Networks, a regional U.S. wireless carrier, finally landed the iPhone 5 today. And, in emulating fellow rural telcos, Strata is offering Apple’s device with a $50 discount compared to the asking prices at Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Specifically, the iPhone 5 is available for $149 for the 16GB model, $249 for the 32GB model and $349 for the high-end model with 64 gigabytes of storage. The iPhone 5 is available in all Strata stores in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.

They don’t mention web sales, though Strata did update its web site this morning to reflect the devices’ availability. The carrier is also selling the iPhone 4S for $49 and the iPhone 4 for free, with a qualifying contract. Would-be subscribers should be pleased to know that the iPhone 5 is compatible with Strata’s 4G LTE network that the company started deploying ahead of Christmas 2012… Read More

 

Apple beats Samsung in U.S. smartphone sales

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 6, 2013

Here’s some good news: research firm comScore Wednesday announced that during a three-month average ending January 2013 Apple crushed Samsung in United States smartphone sales. Specifically, the iPhone maker was the top US smartphone vendor with a 37.8 percent market share in January 2013, which was up 3.5 percentage points from October 2012. Samsung was second with a notably lower market share of 21.4 percent, a slight 1.9 percentage point increase from October 2012. All told, Apple’s 3.5 percentage point gain was Android’s loss as we see Google’s mobile operating system dropping for the first time. So much about the supposedly “weaker than expected” iPhone 5 demand… Read More

 

Apple accessories coming to Staples U.S. retail stores by end of March

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 6, 2013

Staple, a U.S.-based office supply chain store, has been selling Apple products in Canada and internationally for quite some time now. Last week, their web store began offering a bunch of Apple accessories, including Apple’s own stuff as well as third-party products for the iPad, iPod, iPhone and Mac. It was their first such U.S. deal with Apple.

Today, we learn the Framingham, Massachusetts retailer will also start carrying Apple accessories in its brick-and-mortar stores later this month. The retailer has over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries, with 1,886 outlets in North America and Canada so this partnership effectively widens Apple’s distribution footprint nationwide… Read More

 

iPad mini sales overtaking full-size iPad faster than Apple envisioned

By Ed Sutherland on Mar 1, 2013

Yesterday came more evidence that the 7.9-inch iPad mini is outselling Apple’s larger tablet. The findings show increasing sales of the iPad mini amid declining demand for the 9.7-inch iPad. Between December and January, shipments of 9.7-inch panels (such as the iPad) fell from 7.4 million to 1.3 million units. In contrast, shipments of 7.9-inch display panels rose to more than five million units, according to the findings by hardware research firm NPD DisplaySearch that echo recent supply chain chatter.

The changing levels of demand suggests consumers prefer the smaller footprint of smaller tablets. However, this faster adoption of the iPad mini over its big brother is causing analysts to revise expectations for 2013 tablet sales… Read More

 

Shazam stats: One in five US iPhones run the app, 10M songs tagged per day

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 1, 2013

Speaking to the UK’s The Guardian newspaper at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Shazam’s marketing boss revealed that last month twenty percent of iPhones in the United States used its media discovery and recommendation software. It gets better as even more fans overseas in countries like France and UK used Shazam on their Apple handset, as much as forty percent of them.

And with iPads growing stronger and the next iPhone looming around the corner, any increase in the installed iPhone base is bound to reflect positively on Shazam’s numbers. On Monday, Shazam announced it passed 300 million active users globally, 90 million in the United States alone.

The company also launched an update to its iOS client with a revamped iPad interface, a much faster tagging and more streamlined sharing features… Read More

 

Over 40 Dr. Seuss apps on sale for creator’s birthday

By Cody Lee on Mar 1, 2013

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” That’s a quote from Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, author of some of the most popular children’s books in the world.

Were he still alive today, Geisel would be turning 109 tomorrow. And in honor of his birthday, the publishing company behind a number of Dr. Seuss iOS apps has put most of their collection os sale for a limited time… Read More

 
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